Keynote Speakers

Computational Imaging aims to develop new cameras and imaging
modalities that optically encode information about the real world
in such a way that it can be captured by image sensors. The
resulting images represent detailed information such as scene
geometry, motion of solids and liquids, multi-spectral
information, or high contrast (high dynamic range), which can
then be computationally decoded using inverse methods, machine
learning, and numerical optimization. Computational Displays use
a similar approach, but in reverse. Here, the goal is to
computationally encode a target image that is then optically
decoded by the display hardware for presentation to a human
observer. Computational displays are capable of generating
glasses-free 3D displays, high dynamic range imagery, or images
and videos with spatial and/or temporal super-resolution. In
this talk I will give an overview of recent advances and current
challenges in rapidly expanding research area.

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Heidrich, Director, Visual Computing Center, King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyProf. Wolfgang Heidrich is the director of the Visual Computing
Center at King Abdullah University of Science and
Technology (KAUST). He is also affiliated with the University of
British Columbia, where he held the Dolby Research Chair until
2013. Dr. Heidrich received his PhD in Computer Science from the
University of Erlangen in 1999, and then worked as a Research
Associate in the Computer Graphics Group of the
Max-Planck-Institute for Computer Science in Saarbrucken,
Germany, before joining UBC in 2000. Dr. Heidrich's research
interests lie at the intersection of computer graphics, computer
vision, imaging, and optics. In particular, he has worked on
computational photography and displays, High Dynamic Range
imaging and display, image-based modeling, measuring, and
rendering, geometry acquisition, GPU-based rendering, and global
illumination. Dr. Heidrich has written well over 150 refereed
publications on these subjects and has served on numerous program
committees. His work on High Dynamic Range Displays served as the
basis for the technology behind Brightside Technologies, which
was acquired by Dolby in 2007 Dr. Heidrich has served as the
program co-chair for Graphics Hardware 2002, Graphics Interface
2004, the Eurographics Symposium on Rendering, 2006, and PROCAMS
2011. Dr. Heidrich is the recipient of a 2014 Humboldt Research
Award.

Imagineering and Computer Graphics

Walt Disney Imagineering is responsible for the design and implementation of all Disney theme parks, cruise-lines, and vacation properties around the world. We not only use computer graphics to aid in design, production, and management of our attractions, but also make use of it heavily in the attractions themselves. We utilize technologies from across industries such as architecture, visual effects, automotive, robotics, and training simulations. Come see how Imagineering has utilized computer graphics in the past and what we hope for in the future, as well as how we look at computer graphics through the lens of the human perceptual system.

Bei Yang, Creative Technology Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering Research and DevelopmentBei Yang is an executive at Walt Disney Imagineering and part of the Creative Technology Studio, a team that works with cross disciplinary teams to create new technology tools to aid in theme park design and production. He has been with the company for 8 years and is currently director of the Imagineering Research and Development Northern California office. He received his Masters of Entertainment Technology degree from Carnegie Mellon University prior to joining Disney.

Design of new materials for health, energy and the environment

Session Details: Friday May 8, 2015 - 10:35 - 11:50Room: Kongresssaal

Throughout history, the discovery of new materials and the ability to shape them has been the seed for technological innovation. Today, the boundary between structures and materials is blurred, enabling a new way to think about materials’ innovation. Materials can now be engineered not only by manipulating their atomic structure and composition, but also by designing the geometry of their microstructure. Additive manufacturing approaches allow constructing arbitrary shapes with different materials, controlling geometries from the nanometer to the meter scale. These new fabrication technologies have enabled the concept of programmable materials, or materials made-to-order, to fulfill specific needs of applications. By exploiting geometrical effects, like bending and buckling of beams or contact between particles, it is possible to design materials with customized deformation responses, controllable stiffness and multifunctional properties. We have constructed new materials that exploit nano-scale geometries to absorb impacts most effectively, we have 3-D printed acoustic lenses that allow sound to travel as compact bullets that can be used in medical applications, and we are designing new, seismic meta-materials that can protect buildings from earthquakes.

Prof. Dr. Chiara Daraio, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH ZurichProfessor Daraio received her 5 year Laurea degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Universita’ Politecnica delle Marche, Italy (2001). She received her M.S. (2003) and Ph.D. degrees (2006) in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California, San Diego. She joined the Aeronautics and Applied Physics departments of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in fall of 2006 and was promoted full professor in 2010. In January 1st, 2013, she joined the department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zürich, with a chair in Mechanics and Materials. She has won several awards. Among these, she received a Presidential Early Career Award (PECASE) from the White House in 2012, was elected as a Sloan Research Fellow in 2011 and received an ONR Young Investigator Award in 2010. She is also a winner of the NSF CAREER award (2009), of the Richard Von Mises Prize (2008) and received recently the Hetenyi Award (2015). She was selected by Popular Science magazine among the “Brilliant 10” (2010). She published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, two book chapters and several patents. For a complete list of publication and research information: http://www.mechmat.ethz.ch.